This is a multi-year application for partial support of the biennial Gordon Research Conference on Glycobiology to be held in January 2009 and 2011 at the Ventura Beach Marriott in Ventura, CA. The previous conference was held March 2007 in Ventura, and was fully subscribed. The Glycobiology Gordon Conference is one of the most prestigious forums for the presentation of the latest and most significant research in the area of Glycobiology. The 2009 and 2011 conferences will continue a tradition of emphasis on the structure, function, and biology of macromolecular glycoconjugates of all types. Plans for the 2009 conference are described briefly below and serve as a template for the 2011 meeting. Eleven oral sessions are scheduled for mornings and evenings. The lecture sessions will cover the following topics: Structural Glycobiology (enzymes &Proteins), Mechanisms of Glycosylation, Nerve and Muscle Glycobiology, Structural Glycobiology (glycans &glycomics), Immune Cell Glycobiology, Vascular Glycobiology, Developmental Glycobiology, Cancer &Cell Regulation, Metabolic Regulation, Microbial Glycobiology. Poster sessions will be held each of the four full days in the late afternoon, and will continue informally after the evening sessions. Several factors contribute to the unique success of this conference in the Glycobiology community: a) a 5-minute window of discussion is enforced at the end of each oral presentation (including short talks), b) the conference is held in a cloistered setting where all participants dine and socialize together outside of the sessions, c) afternoon social activities are planned to promote networking, and d) the poster displays are accessible throughout the day and provide the backdrop for refreshments after the evening sessions, which ensures maximal exposure. Speakers and participants will be selected to reflect the international excellence in glycobiology with appropriate balance ensuring representation of young scientists, women, and minorities. In addition to the approximately 31 invited talks, 26 short oral presentations will be selected from outstanding poster abstracts to bring forth the latest developments in the field, and eight Conference Awards (conference fee deferrals) will be available for outstanding abstracts submitted by graduate students, post-docs, and very junior faculty. The breadth of topics and the diversity of techniques employed in this highly multidisciplinary field will attract a diverse group of scientists with a common interest in glycoconjugates and their functions. All applicants will be encouraged to present a poster. The size of the conference has been increased this year to 150 participants. Proper facilities are available to accommodate handicapped individuals who will also be considered equally in the selection of attendees and speakers. The meeting will bring together the leading and developing scientists in the field to present and evaluate the latest and hottest research in the area, and is designed to stimulate the widening application of emerging technologies and concepts in glycobiology to the frontiers of all areas of biomedical research. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Glycosylation of proteins and lipids contributes in many essential ways to the normal function and health of all the tissues and organs in both development and physiology. The field of `Glycobiology'has experienced a recent upsurge on account of new technologies and its success in contributing a mechanistic understanding to a wide range of inherited, acquired and infectious diseases in humans. Collectively, glycan-dependent diseases are united by a common logic of biosynthesis, analytical methodologies and interpretation of phenotypes and disease symptoms, and the Glycobiology Gordon Conference offers a unique forum to bring together investigators from diverse disciplines to intensively explore these issues.